Dysnomia Academy [ONC 2021]

Chapter Ten

Scarf girl thought she was being smart, but I kept the complete truth to myself. My shield was not just for protection. It was also a test.

"Maybe using my energy wasn't a complete waste since I got the results I wanted. Not just anyone can see my shield. Tell me, were you born with that golden eye?"

Scarf girl took a step back. Her shoulders tensed up, and the one exposed eye squinted at me.

"Why should I answer you?"

I need to know why THEY did all those things to me. I need to know the reason why THEY treated me like a lab rat all those years. My hands trembled as I remembered those awful years of my childhood, but I hid my anguish under a mask of false confidence.

"Mutual benefits. You answer my question and I'll tell you something about that golden eye of yours. Sound good?"

After a minute of thinking, she sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell you. My parents paid for the surgery on both of my eyes. I'm not sure why they'd do that, but now it's your turn."

"A deal's a deal. I'm the person you got those golden eyes from. Of course, yours are an incomplete recreation of their true potential, but I'm sure they have something special about them."

I watched Zach slip out of the scarf's hold and run over to my side. Scarf girl seemed to be unsatisfied with my information. Even so, I wasn't just going to hand over the instruction manual to my enemy. 

The punk interrupted our little chat and threw his katana at me, but the wind blew it a few feet to my right. I yanked the katana out of the dirt, charged it with some of my lightning, and sent it right back at him. Sharp cries rang through the air as it went through his left thigh. 

Zach and I retreated back to Fritz, who was resting after using his ability. Fritz had a curious look on his face.

"What was the point of talking to the girl? She barely told you anything."

"She told me plenty. Maybe I'll explain it to you another time. Right now, we have to focus on getting through the physical training."

A whistle pierced the atmosphere, putting a halt to all the chaos. Nightmare walked into the center of the arena.

"The two hours are up, and the medic team is on their way right now. If you want to hear what I have to say, gather 'round."

Some of my classmates held onto their aching body parts as they dragged themselves over while others were relatively fine. Zach, Fritz, and I joined them in the group around Nightmare. She cleared her throat.

"I saw only a small percentage of you use the forts to your advantage. Making a plan and utilizing the terrain is very important to your success in a battle. As you can see, most of you that started fighting in the beginning were tired and stood little to no chance against those who conserved their energy. Use your heads more."

The medic team arrived and started healing the injured students. I waited in line for my jaw fixed up only because Fritz insisted. There wasn't anymore pain, but the swelling was a bit concerning. A medic used magic to heal me. For some reason, she acted all surprised when she saw my injury.

"Oh wow! Did someone catch you off guard?"

"Uh...I guess you can say that."

Some distance away, the punk that I stabbed with his own katana glared at me as he was being healed by another medic. I stuck out my tongue at him and turned away. It's been a while since I did something immature like that. It feels weird to cut loose.

Nightmare waited for the medic team to finish up before taking my class back to the locker rooms to change. Inside, Fritz dragged me by the ear to a corner away from the rest of the group. I just went with him since I was tired from the physical training. He let go and narrowed his eyes at me.

"You can't scare me like that again. Why did you let me punch you in the face? What if I really hurt you?"

"It helped you, and the medic fixed me up. I'd say it was worth it."

Fritz slapped his forehead.

"I'm being serious. Some injuries can't be healed with magic. Why don't you understand?"

"My own family has put me through more pain than that weak punch to my jaw."

His eyes widened. I said too much... I tried to change the topic.

"It's not that big of a deal. Let's finish getting changed so we can go back to class."

Fritz put a hand on my shoulder, preventing me from leaving.

"Kenzo, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. There's nothing-"

His hand tightened its grip on my shoulder, and he raised his voice.

"How can you be fine!? Being used to pain isn't something good! You need to take care of yourself...like earlier when you kept using your shield on all three of us. Even you deserve breaks-"

My vision blurred. It felt like a wet sack of sand fell from the sky and landed on my shoulders. 

Why does life want me to look so pathetic at a time like this?